Organizing Boston

Wrap Up Your Move

Sarah Buckwalter — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:44:19 +0000

Let’s face it, there’s a lot that goes on when you’re moving, especially if you’re selling and/or buying a home. A good checklist can help you make sure you’re not forgetting any of those big or little tasks. Here are a couple of checklists we like…choose the one that works best for you or use them to help you jot down your own list.
Real Simple Moving Checklist
Apartment Therapy Moving Checklist
And don’t forget, your favorite professional organizer can help make sure you get it all done so you can enjoy your new home!

Pack Smart

Sarah Buckwalter — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:12:08 +0000

‘Tis the season…for moving, that is. If you’re getting ready to move, packing can be one of the largest and most intimidating parts of the process. We’ve got a few tips to help you pack smart and take advantage of this prime de-cluttering opportunity so you don’t end up moving lots of stuff you don’t need!
1. Gather your supplies. If you’re using professional movers, they may have a box drop off service, and many have used boxes available for reduced rates. Otherwise, check out local classifieds for free used boxes or head to your local home supply store for a stock of boxes, packing paper, and tape, including a good tape dispenser. You will also want sharpies and perhaps colored stickers if you’re planning on marking boxes by room, which we highly recommend.
2. Purge while you pack! There’s no sense in packing anything you don’t use, love or need. Be prepared with trash bags and boxes for items you want to donate. For donations, pick an organization that matches your needs – some offer on-site pick up vs. local drop-off locations, some accept certain items and not others. A simple Google search is often enough to find what you’re looking for. If you know you’ll be parting with lots of stuff, a junk removal company if often a good idea.
3. Use it or lose it. Last but not least, now’s the time to institute a ‘use it or lose it’ policy for small items discovered during your purging and packing, including food items, toiletries, office supplies and other consumables. If they aren’t something you regularly use, now you’ve got an expiration date for them – if they don’t get used before the final packing stages, just get rid of them!
Even if you’re not packing yourself (and we don’t blame you), you can still follow the above steps to make sure you’re not moving items unnecessarily. For donations, simply weed them out and get rid of them before the packing help arrives or mark them and set them aside for a donation pick up. And if all of this seems overwhelming or you have a tight timeline, enlist the help of a professional organizer to help you breeze through all 3 steps – now that’s smart packing!

Make Your Move

Sarah Buckwalter — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:32:31 +0000

We don’t know too many people who love to pack, but if you are getting ready for a move, there are some smart moves you can make to at least take advantage of a prime de-cluttering opportunity and ward off last minute stress.

Plan ahead as much as possible. In most cases, a move or home project is not a surprise, and while many of us are so busy with the rest of life that packing often gets left to the last minute, do yourself a favor and give yourself at least several weeks to make sure you can pack smart!
Schedule the big stuff. Make sure you schedule movers, donation pick-ups and other packing and purging help as early as you know your preferred schedule. If you have a two-stage move and won’t be moving immediately into your new home, you may need to reserve short-term storage as well. Whatever your situation, scheduling the big stuff ASAP will make sure you get the help you want and need and also helps you set a timeline for the rest of the small(er) tasks.
Scan your home for items you want to sell or donate. There are a variety of options for selling items – Craigslist, eBay, consignment, specialty online or local re-sellers, just to name a few. Pick the avenue you’re most comfortable with and take action. If selling doesn’t pan out, schedule charity donation pick ups, junk removal services, or plan to take several trips to a donation drop-off.

While packing for a move may not be on the top of your favorite activities list, taking a few steps to be prepared at least gives you a fighting chance at a less-stress move!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sarah Buckwalter — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:59:23 +0000

We’d like to wish all the moms out there a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! We work with lots of moms out there throughout the year, and one thing’s for sure, they’re a hard-working crew. So this weekend, don’t forget to thank, honor, or otherwise celebrate your mom and all the wonderful things she does. Hint, giving her a break from some of those things, at least for a day, is a great gift!
And if you are a mom, don’t forget to relax and enjoy your day! If you’ve got some grand plans for a spa day or other escape, that’s great. But even if you don’t, you can still do something to be kind to yourself – get a little extra sleep, buy yourself something you love (don’t forget to get rid of something you don’t love so much), or purge something from your to-do list – just decide not to do it – we’ve all got a few candidates on our list. Or just sit back and relax for once – you deserve it!

Organizing Tips for New Moms

Sarah Buckwalter — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:09:02 +0000

This week, we’re all about moms and let’s not forget moms-to-be in honor of Mother’s Day. Motherhood has a way of throwing your previously organized or at least somewhat manageable life for a loop. But rather than throwing in the towel (or the diaper), new moms should be encouraged by knowing that simple, yet effective organizing tricks can help save your sanity.
Here are three keys to success:
1) Have a home for everything! New moms experience a brain fog that cannot be imagined until you experience it. If you have to think about where your keys are or the last time you saw the saw thermometer, you’re toast. Having a place for everything also makes it easier to ask for help from others, which is a good thing.
2) Relax your standards. While being somewhat organized as a new mom definitely helps, being a perfectionist definitely doesn’t! Let other people help you do housework even if it doesn’t get done the way you would do it. You’ll have plenty of time to perfect your house later…ha, ha.
3) Organize on the go. Getting out of the house as new mom is one the best things you can do for yourself, but making sure you have what you and your little one might need can be overwhelming. New moms spend lots of time trying to find the perfect diaper bag that will ensure organized outings, only to be digging through yet another bottomless bag when you really need something. We saw this great new product that has the power to tame any diaper bag. The sugarSNAP Files are a set of perfectly sized pouches for each category of stuff you’ll need, clearly visible labels, and a ring/clip mechanism that keeps all the pouches together or let’s you take one off as needed. No more digging for a diaper, onesie, or your own lip gloss, should you get a second to put some on. Wish we’d thought of this :)

Find Your Time!

Sarah Buckwalter — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:29:55 +0000

Mother’s Day is coming up, which is a great time for all of the busy women and mothers out there to remember to take care of yourselves! In case you hadn’t noticed, household and family to-do lists are (or can be) endless, so the solution is not to wait to do something fun until all the chores are done. If you do, you’ll be waiting forever, and what fun is that?!
Two things busy women can do to make themselves happier are to delegate, delegate, delegate and use your calendar for ‘me time’ appointments. How do you do this? Figure out what you don’t have time to do this week, but really needs to get done. Is there someone else that can help out? Usually, the answer is yes, you just have to ask. Remember, family members are not mind readers, so you usually have to tell them what you need help with. If you don’t have someone to help with a particular task, consider whether it makes sense to outsource – pay someone to do it for you! We don’t have time to do it all, so this is a perfectly reasonable solution. Your choices here might be a neighborhood kid, a professional service, or an on-line task service.
As for using your calendar to schedule your ‘me time,’ it’s just that simple. First, figure out what you’d like to do – a ‘date’ with girlfriends, a craft project, an exercise class, read a book? Then figure out when and where it makes sense to fit this in. This is the hard part, but don’t give up. It will probably mean asking your spouse or a family member to help with the kids, or perhaps outsourcing some errands or housework. Whatever it takes, just do it. And don’t forget to put it on your calendar – and your spouse’s calendar too! You will be a happier mom for it! As your ‘me time’ approaches, ward off mom guilt by taking a few seconds to start mentally listing all the things you do for your family – you will get over that really quickly!

Community Recycling Event – May 11, 2013

Sarah Buckwalter — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:01:06 +0000

MBTA Watertown Bus Yard

(corner of Water & Galen st)

All Towns Welcome

Everything is dismantled…

Zero landfill impact!

Saturday May 11, 2013

10:00AM to 2:00PM

Will Not Accept:

wood, glass, hazardous materials, paint, tires, liquids,

mattresses, carpets, upholstered furniture, styrofoam, fluorescent bulbs, toilets.

Please no household waste

Electronics:

computers, monitors, VCRs,

cell phones, keyboards, printers, copiers,

faxes, modems, cabling, wire, cords,

cameras, videos, scanners, walkmans, ipods,

hard drives, stereos, speakers, etc.

Metal:

all types, all kinds, swing sets,

fencing, rebar, pots, pans, file cabinets, etc.

Electrical:

wires, cables, motors, batteries,

power tools, enclosures, panels, light fixtures, etc.

Textiles:

clothing, footwear, accesories,

linens and stuffed animals

Toys:

plastic, metal, electronic

Appliances:

washers, dryers, AC units,

stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, trash

compactors, etc.

Small Appliances:

vacuums, irons,

blenders, toaster, food processors, lamps,

humidifiers, etc.

Yard & Power Equipment:

mowers,

weed wackers, tillers, chainsaws, etc

(please empty fuel & oil)

If its got a plug we will take it!

TV’s accepted at a cost of 35 cents a pound –

Everything else is FREE!

Need to Get Rid of Some Stuff?

More Info Contact

tlasker@mbta.com

617-222-5750

Organizing Kids’ Closets

Sarah Buckwalter — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:42:59 +0000

Kids’ closets can be a black hole of dirty clothes, toys and whatever gets thrown in there at clean up time. You can teach your kids to be organized and clean up after themselves, but they need a good organizational system in place first.

Make it user-friendly. Use open, kid-friendly containers on low shelving so your child can take out and put things back with minimal or no assistance. Lower the closet rods to kid-height. They can’t hang anything, if they can’t reach the hangers! Better yet, pull out the rods and put a set of drawers in the closet instead. You’ll get more storage out of the space and kids are more likely to put things away in a drawer than on a hanger.

Remove lids. The fewer steps in the process, the more likely it is to work. Ever notice a child’s hamper with a lid? Often there’s nothing inside, but clothes are piled on top and around. Keep it open and keep it simple.

Label the fronts of all bins and drawers with pictures (for little kids) or words (for bigger kids). Make it obvious as to where things go. Creating the labels can even be a fun art or photography project that your kids can help with.

Get your kids involved in the process – everything from setting up the zones, choosing and labeling containers, to the daily retrieval and clean up of their clothes. It’s never too early to teach kids how to take care of their possessions.

Routinely go through your children’s clothing and purge items that are not being used or do not fit. If they’re in good condition, another family can use them, and your child will have more space to work with.

Provide positive feedback. Reinforce your family’s organizational skills by rewarding kids for using the systems you’ve put in place. This could be as simple as a high five for putting toys away or a sticker system with small rewards built in for achieving goals for the week.

Organizing Your Kids – Be Prepared

Sarah Buckwalter — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:42:57 +0000

Being organized isn’t about having a picture perfect home; it’s about planning and having a routine. Especially with kids, organization is the key to a less stressful day. Taking just a few extra minutes at the end of each day can save you time and stress as you rush out the door each morning.

Create a landing zone near your main entrance. Have baskets for keys, hooks for bags and bins for homework and artwork so you can do a quick bag clean out or re-packing. If you have the space, have a separate hook and bin for each person in your family.

Pack your bags (work, daycare, school) the night before to avoid a last minute scramble or worse, leaving the house without the essentials. Ten minutes in the evening can save you a world of trouble the next day.

Prepare meals and snacks to go the night before. Put non-perishables in lunch bags on the counter and gather any perishables in an easy-to-grab spot in the fridge. Put a sticky note on the front door to remind you to grab fridge items before you head out the door.

Layout outfits as you fold and put away laundry. Use cubbies (a hanging sweater storage unit works great for this) to separate outfits for each day of the week. At least if your child doesn’t want to wear something on a certain day, there are other outfits to choose from.

Prep, or at least decide what everyone’s having for breakfast the night before. Have grab and go items like yogurt smoothies, bagels or trail mix on hand for extra busy mornings.

Put what you can in the car the night before – think sports equipment, items to return, special projects. This will help avoid needing to make multiple trips back and forth in the morning because your hands are too full.

Most importantly – Get your kids involved in the process. Incorporate tasks into their daily routine. It can be as simple as adding a step to an existing process; such as putting their finished homework back in their bags or choosing and laying out their breakfast when they have an evening snack. It’s never too early to teach kids how to organize.

Off Season Clothing Storage

Sarah Buckwalter — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:31:15 +0000

Now is the time of year to bring out your spring clothing and put away all those bulky winter duds. When storing your off-season clothing, follow these practical guidelines to avoid damage from insects, mildew and mold.

Important
Be sure to wash and dry all garments thoroughly before storing.

Do not store clothes in plastic bags or airtight containers. Rattan trunks are perfect for storing clothing, as they allow the clothing to breathe when air circulates through the rattan.

Clothing Storage Tips
When storing garments, use a chemical desiccant to absorb moisture and prevent mildew. Do not let the desiccant touch the garments. Examples of chemical desiccant are calcium chloride or silica gel.

Also you can use cedar balls or blocks to repel insects

Reduce dampness in closets by tying pieces of chalk together and hanging them from a support post or from the ceiling.

If the weather in your area is cool and dry, be sure your storage areas are well ventilated.

Always store garments loosely so they can breathe and air can circulate. Never use fabric finish or starch on garments that are to be stored.

Protect clothing from wood acid by lining dresser drawers with an acid free shelf paper or quilted fabric. Never use wallpaper remnants or gummed shelf paper. The backing will attract insects to your clothing.

Always clean garments that are to be stored. Insects are attracted to drink, food and perspiration.

Areas where garments are stored should be dark and clean. Light fades colors and attracts insects.

Never store clothing in a cold basement or hot attic. Extreme temperatures will damage your clothes.

Cotton, linen, silk and wool are all natural fibers. Always store these in a well ventilated area.

To rid garments of wrinkles when they come out of storage, put them in the dryer on the fluff or air dry cycle that has no heat.

When adding mothballs to a storage area, place them in an old sock so they don’t touch the garments.

If you’re using moth crystals, put them on the adhesive backing of duct tape and hang them in the storage area.

Use the tips in this article to safely store all of your off-season clothing. Storing garments correctly will help your clothing to stay beautiful for years to come.